Health News 08/2016

August 01, 2016 5:03 AM. GENEVA—. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns that 77 million babies deprived of mother's milk within the first crucial hours after birth are at great risk of dying within a month. To mark World Breastfeeding Week ...(Aug 1, 2016, Voice of America)

Theranos' Holmes on the rise, fall and maybe rise again of a medical tech darling

SIERRA VISTA – Summer storms bring spikes in mosquito populations, with vector control specialists trapping the insects and testing them for harmful viruses they could be carrying. While West Nile, Zika and dengue viruses are big concerns, West Nile is ...(Aug 1, 2016, Sierra Vista Herald)

Injuries Soar as Trampoline Parks Expand

MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- As trampoline parks spring up across the United States, injuries to kids have jumped, too, a new study finds. Indoor trampoline parks, a relatively new phenomenon, are growing in popularity, said Dr. Kathryn ...(Aug 1, 2016, U.S. News & World Report)

Health Highlights: Aug.1, 2016

Blue Bell Creameries has been fined $850,000 in connection with a 2015 listeria outbreak that caused three deaths. Texas health officials said the company must pay $175,000 within 30 days and the remainder of the fine within 18 months, United Press ...(Aug 1, 2016, HealthDay)

MIT Team Develops Portable Drug Production System

Scientists at MIT, with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), say they have developed a portable production system designed to manufacture a range of biopharmaceuticals on demand. In a paper ("Synthetic biology and ...(Aug 1, 2016, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News)

Meat-eaters may have a higher risk of death, but plants are the answer

(CNN) Are you ready to take it easy with the burgers? A new protein-focused paper confirms that eating red meat may be linked to a higher risk of death. However, replacing animal protein in your diet with plant protein is associated with a decreased ...(Aug 1, 2016, CNN)

Pfizer doubles down on gene therapy, pays up to almost $700M for Bamboo

Pfizer ($PFE) aims to become a major gene therapy player with its latest acquisition of Bamboo Therapeutics. It first entered the field via a 2014 deal with Spark Therapeutics in hemophilia; at that time, the pharma also established a dedicated gene ...(Aug 1, 2016, FierceBiotech)

New Clues to Depression Spotted in the Genome

The battle against depression has always been something of a rearguard action. You can't prevent it; you can't really cure it. The best you can do is battle it, often through a lifetime of cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps manage symptoms, and ...(Aug 1, 2016, TIME)

Scientists came to a fascinating conclusion after looking at the DNA of thousands of people with depression

Yet for decades, scientists have known surprisingly little about what genes are linked with the development of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). A new study aims to change that. In their paper, published Monday in the journal Nature Genetics, a team of ...(Aug 1, 2016, Yahoo News)

July marked the fifth anniversary of Amy Winehouse's tragic death due to accidental alcohol poisoning. Now the charitable organization that bears her name is paying tribute to the late singer by helping others. On Monday, the Amy Winehouse Foundation ...(Aug 1, 2016, People Magazine)

Trampoline parks tied to jump in emergency room visits

(Reuters Health) - As trampoline parks are becoming more common in the U.S., so are emergency room visits for injuries that happen at these recreational facilities, a new study suggests. “I don't think trampoline park injuries are increasing because ...(Aug 1, 2016, Reuters)

Scientists Ponder an Evolutionary Mystery: The Female Orgasm

Evolutionary biologists offered a new way of thinking about the female orgasm based on a reconstruction of its ancient history. Credit Getty Images. An eye is for seeing, a nose is for smelling. Many aspects of the human body have obvious purposes. But ...(Aug 1, 2016, New York Times)

Fish Oil Has Benefits After a Heart Attack: Study

Many heart doctor will tell you that one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy is to include more healthy oils, such as omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, in your diet. Studies have shown that people in parts of the world who eat more fish have ...(Aug 1, 2016, TIME)

Zika Vaccine in First Round of Testing as First Local Outbreak Hits Florida

Researchers are one step closer to creating an approved Zika vaccine, with the first round of safety trials already underway. Drug companies have shown success in preclinical trials, in which they have induced immunity in mice and monkeys, indicating a ...(Aug 1, 2016, ABC News)

Fat May Not Hike Heart Attack Risk: Study

MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- In a study that challenges a commonly accepted belief, Swedish researchers contend that obesity may not increase the risk of heart attack or premature death. Their study of identical twins looked at cases where ...(Aug 1, 2016, WebMD)

Health group serves up list of unhealthy eats at chain restaurants

Would you eat a 2,850-calorie burger from Uno Pizzera? What about Dave and Buster's 1,910-calorie sandwich? Both of those foods are recipients of the Center for Science in the Public Interest's 2016 XTreme Eating Awards, an annual list of unhealthy ...(Aug 1, 2016, WSB Atlanta)

CDC issues historic travel warning over Miami Zika outbreak

(CNN) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an unprecedented travel warning Monday, advising pregnant women and their partners not to travel to a small community just north of downtown Miami, where Zika is actively circulating. This is ...(Aug 1, 2016, CNN)

Amy Winehouse Foundation Opens Addiction Recovery Home for Women

It's been more than five years since Amy Winehouse died and those close to her continue to find ways to honor her legacy. The late singer's family launched the Amy Winehouse Foundation in her honor on Sept. 14, 2011, which would have been her 28th ...(Aug 1, 2016, E! Online)

High Doses of Fish Oil Might Help Healing After Heart Attack

MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Heart attack patients who took high doses of fish oil supplements for six months showed improved heart function and less scarring, researchers report. It is not yet precisely known how the large amounts of ...(Aug 1, 2016, U.S. News & World Report)

Zika Surge in Miami Neighborhood Prompts Travel Warning

The Wynwood arts district of Miami, where cases of Zika have been spread by mosquitoes. Credit Max Reed for The New York Times. Federal health officials on Monday urged pregnant women to stay away from a Miami neighborhood where they have ...(Aug 2, 2016, New York Times)

Researchers Describe A New Hypothesis About Why The Female Orgasm Exists

A pair of scientists have a new hypothesis about why the female orgasm exists: it might have something to do with releasing an egg to be fertilized. Scientists have puzzled over, and sometimes even questioned the existence of, a phenomenon that appears ...(Aug 2, 2016, NPR)

FAQ: How and Why We Rank and Rate Hospitals

If you're about to join the more than 90,000 patients a day who are admitted to U.S. hospitals, is the one your doctor recommended right for you? Checking the U.S. News Best Hospitals specialty rankings in 16 specialties may be in order if your care ...(Aug 2, 2016, U.S. News & World Report)

Theranos ignores scandal and shows off new blood testing machine

Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes made an appearance at a scientific convention today, but it wasn't to allay the many concerns about the company's previous blood tests, the results of which were thrown out earlier this year. Holmes also chose not to ...(Aug 2, 2016, The Verge)

Philips Rolls Out Smartphone-Centered Health Ecosystem

When you think of smartphones and the Internet of Things (IoT), one of the first names to pop into your head isn't likely to be Philips. Their name, for most, conjures images of headphones, toothbrushes, and telephones. Some may even still listen to ...(Aug 2, 2016, Android Headlines)

After Blood-Testing Scandal, Embattled Theranos is Back with a Zika Test

The chief executive of embattled Theranos on Monday presented plans for a new product and said the blood testing company was working diligently to rectify all of its outstanding issues involving its product and laboratory operations. CEO Elizabeth ...(Aug 2, 2016, NBCNews.com)

Every week, scientists in Guangdong release three million bacteria-infected mosquitoes on a 3km long island as part of efforts to wipe out diseases like dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The scientists inject mosquito eggs with wolbachia bacteria in a ...(Aug 2, 2016, South China Morning Post)

Siberia's Deadly Anthrax Outbreak

NEWS BRIEFA heatwave in Siberia is believed to have melted permafrost, exposing the carcass of a reindeer infected with anthrax, resulting in the first outbreak of the deadly bacterial disease in the Russian tundra since 1941. The result: A 12-year-old ...(Aug 2, 2016, The Atlantic)

Generic Biologic Drugs Seem as Effective as Originals

We will provide you with a dropdown of all your saved articles when you are registered and signed in. {shareThisContent}. {fontSizerContent}. Font Size. A. A. A. Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker ...(Aug 2, 2016, WebMD)

The ancient evolutionary origin of the elusive female orgasm

'Fifty Shades of Grey' (2015) – "Fifty Shades of Grey" came out around Valentine's Day, a perfect time for a film whose sex scenes had some blushing red. It isn't the first movie with risque scenes that had moviegoers titillated. Hide Caption. 1 of 28 ...(Aug 2, 2016, CNN)

Women without tonsils or appendix may be more fertile

(CNN) Have you had your tonsils or appendix removed? If you have and you're a woman, you probably weren't told that the surgery may have increased your chances of having a baby. In fact, you may have been told the opposite. But a new 15-year study ...(Aug 2, 2016, CNN)

Few Seniors Go Online for Health-Care Needs

TUESDAY, Aug. 2, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Hopes have been high that digital technology would improve seniors' health care, but a new study suggests that few older Americans are on board. The study, which surveyed thousands of Medicare patients, ...(Aug 2, 2016, U.S. News & World Report)

A new study indicates that generic biologic drugs — a cheaper option — are as just as effective as their brand name counterparts. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that "generic forms of a biologic drug used to ...(Aug 2, 2016, International Business Times)

Sam Wei, a 26-year-old financial analyst in Chicago, has not had sex since her last relationship ended 18 months ago. She makes out with guys sometimes, and she likes to cuddle. “To me, there's more intimacy with having someone there next to you that ...(Aug 2, 2016, Washington Post)

Zika-spreading mosquito puts up tough fight as Florida cases hit 15

The mosquitoes spreading Zika in Miami are proving harder to eradicate than expected, the nation's top disease-fighter said Tuesday as authorities sprayed clouds of insecticide in the ground-zero neighborhood, emptied kiddie pools and handed out cans ...(Aug 2, 2016, Fox News)

Health|Feeling Guilty About Not Flossing? Maybe There's No Need

For decades, the federal government — not to mention your dentist — has insisted that daily flossing is necessary to prevent cavities and gums so diseased that your teeth fall out. Turns out, all that flossing may be overrated. The latest dietary ...(Aug 2, 2016, New York Times)

MIT Develops Portable Device To Make Biopharmaceuticals On Demand

Through the use of a specific yeast and cells held in liquid, Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed in a paper last week that their device could manufacture a since dose of biopharmaceuticals for doctors in remote areas or ...(Aug 2, 2016, ValueWalk)

Flossing has quietly lost its place among recommendations for daily health, as least as prescribed in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are issued every five years by the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. That ...(Aug 2, 2016, NPR)

Zika in Miami: Mayor hopes spraying stops its spread

(CNN) As the Zika scare ramps up in south Florida, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said authorities will target 10 square miles north of downtown Miami to combat the virus. Citing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and ...(Aug 3, 2016, CNN)

1st case of West Nile confirmed in Minnesota horse this year

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota has confirmed its first case of West Nile virus in a horse this year. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health said Tuesday an unvaccinated horse in Winthrop, in the south-central part of the state, has tested positive for the ...(Aug 3, 2016, KARE)

NASHVILLE, TN (WJHL) — The Tennessee Health Department is encouraging women to breastfeed their babies with events across the state. They are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week August 1st through the 7th to promote the importance of ...(Aug 3, 2016, WJHL)

MIT scientists developed a compact device that can produce a single dose of biopharmaceutical treatment on demand. The system is based on a strain of yeast called Pichia pastoris. ( Tim Lu et al. ) Advertisement. Most medicines are produced in large ...(Aug 3, 2016, Tech Times)

Few seniors seeking health advice from Dr. Google

(Reuters Health) - Even though most seniors have cell phones and computers, they still don't go online to find answers to medical questions, contact doctors or fill prescriptions, a U.S. study suggests. “While we found that the majority of seniors use ...(Aug 3, 2016, Business Insider)

Few fear Zika following first mosquito-borne cases in US

Washington (CNN) A new poll finds most Americans aren't worried about someone in their family contracting a case of Zika, even as a growing number of mosquito-borne cases of the disease in a Florida neighborhood prompted a historic travel warning from ...(Aug 3, 2016, CNN)

Study points way to finding genes affecting depression risk

NEW YORK – In a key advance for the study of depression, a comprehensive scan of human DNA has turned up the apparent hiding places of more than a dozen genes linked to the disorder. “This is a jumping-off point” for further work to reveal the ...(Aug 3, 2016, Northwest Herald)

Is Alabama ready for Zika? Miami outbreak provides a glimpse at response

A Miami-Dade County mosquito control worker sprays around a school in the Wynwood area of Miami on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. The CDC has issued a new advisory that says pregnant women should not travel a Zika-stricken part of Miami, and pregnant ...(Aug 3, 2016, AL.com)

In a newly released ranking of the best medical centers in the country, U.S. News & World Report declared the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, No.1. The publication's annual report listed The Cleveland Clinic as No. 2, followed by Massachusetts ...(Aug 3, 2016, Fox News)